Lately I have been looking and feeling quite feral. This is a photo from back in the summer, dressed up to go to a friends beach wedding in August. Right now I'm spending my days covered in dust, wearing dirty clothes and safety glasses. I'm trying to schedule massage appointments to only 3 days a week so the other days I don't have to get dressed or try to stay clean and I can focus on my biggest project right now - my kitchen renovation.
Life has been so FULL the past few months - the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and so many in betweens. I want to share a few things that I have been loving lately. Things that are giving me LIFE, giving me inspiration, fueling my body, fueling my soul and giving me the motivation to face life - in all its challenges and softness lately.
-Body On Earth Retreats
I just returned from my latest retreat in July. I'm saying "just returned" even though it's already September because after that last retreat, time moves differently for me now. It's still in the forefront of my mind and every day I'm continuing to reap all the benefits of the medicine work, embodiment work, and deep soul introspection. I have been to three of these retreats this year and honestly, POWERFUL is not a big enough word to describe what happens at these retreats. This has been a year of intense deep fiery sometimes painful but also ecstatic transformation for me and I am so grateful to have been able to have these experiences with the team at Awareness of Body and Soul Center. I have met so many beautiful people through these experiences and have gained a new perspective on humanity and LIFE that is deeply affecting my massage practice. I'm still being shaped by this process and am working to shift my massage practice to better reflect the new version of myself that I am becoming as I step into the future.
-Hans Zimmer I am OBSESSED with Hans Zimmer right now. Everyday I am listening to his music and immersing myself in his genius. I recently rewatched Inception and Gladiator. I rarely go to the movie theater but earlier this year I went to see the second Dune film to hear the music on the theater sound system. I am dying to see the Lion King musical in Hamburg!!! I think we are going to go later this year when we have more free time after finishing our renovation and life is a little calmer.
When I am struggling or having a bad day - I like to listen to the "Circle of Life" or the orchestra version of the Lion King Suite from the Hans Zimmer Band. It makes all the hair rise on my body, gives me goosebumps and the original vocal version with Lebo M always gives full body chills and fills me with LIFE. Whatever my life is looking like in the moment - that music reminds me of the grandeur and variety and beauty of life. I want to live a life where I experience the thrill of full body chills every day, where music touches me at a soul level, where I remember how BIG life is and how small I am but how everything is still connected and above all the beauty of ART. He announced that next year he is going to be touring Europe with his band and I am sooooo excited to see him live!!!!!! How badass is it that he's in his 60s and touring around the world with his amazingly talented band and playing live - putting himself in front of audiences after working for the big screen for decades. Incredible. Genius.
-The song “Blessed We Are” from Peia
I heard this song for the first time at my latest Body on Earth retreat and it touched me so deeply. This is another song so full of LIFE. For darker days or for celebration, this song reminds me that “life is SACRED” and whether or not I’m enjoying my time here on earth ... I have this gift of LIFE and it’s up to me to use it.
Blessed we are
to dance on this ground
with the rhythm of saints to carry the sound.
We hold a prayer for all life,
for the days yet to come
May you walk in beauty and remember your song.
-The Emerald Podcast
This podcast is a recent discovery of mine. The episodes cover a range of topics - mysticism, ancient culture, nature, and the musical accompaniment is incredible. https://www.themythicbody.com/
The latest episode I listened to is "I Wish It Could Have Been Another Way (A Lament with Peia Luzzi) which is about grief over the destruction of nature in our modern world.
-Suyana cacao
With pumpkin pie spice and a splash of cream because cream makes everything better :)
I use a milk frother and blend everything up so it's a little foamy and it's been the best thing to help me overcome coffee addiction. Earlier in the summer we went to a Cacao Dance by Mose in Köln and this was the cacao they served there and I've been drinking it almost every day since then.
-My Kitchen Renovation
I can't truly say I've been loving this lately because it's been the biggest pain in my ass and driving me past the point of insanity on a weekly basis. It has challenged my relationship more than anything else we've ever been through. We started this renovation in February. I've been living without a kitchen for 8 months - washing dishes in our bathroom sink, cooking on a camping stove, living in a house full of dust and spiders and it has been soooo uncomfortable. Chaos. We are in a rush to finish everything before winter comes and I'm focusing all my energy on this project right now.
Here's a few of my inspiration pictures from my Pinterest Board:
My biggest inspiration comes from Jonkmanshof - a magical looking guesthouse in South Africa. I just love how warm their kitchen spaces feel because of the natural materials used. I love how they used Delft tiles as a border on the floor. We would love to install Delft tiles (or Friesische Fliesen as they call them here in northern Germany) behind our cooking range.
For my kitchen I was dreaming of terracotta tiles on the floor, open shelving, antique wood furniture, subway tiles with dark grout, and a separate pantry where we could have a tea/coffee station and more storage for food. We're going to have a wood burning stove with brick backsplash. And a huge table big enough to seat everyone comfortably - wide enough to fit everyones plates and also have platters of food in the middle of the table :)
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